The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-07-28
AN APPALLlNG ACCIDENr..
An Express Train Runs Into n Body or Work.
men, Killing Twelve or Fifteen or Them md
Wounding Many Others--The Track Covered
with Mangled Men and Blood @..

Wounding Many Others--The Track Covered
with Mongled Men and Blood. .*."..
A New York dispatch of Thursday saws
frightful accident took place that morn.
ing on the Erie Railroad between Allen.
dale and Hohokus. Over dozen manpled
bodies on the track attested the neglect of
some one who should have given warming.
a gang OF Italian laborers were blasting
on the railroad near sharp curve about
thrce-quarters of mile above Hohol<us.
The Chicago Express, which was due the
hour before, had not arrived, and these
men, whose foreman should have given n
warning whistle when the train was an
preaching the curve, were busy at work
unconscious Of the terrible fate in store for
them. The Express dashed through the
gang, killing II or Is and wounding MANY
others. The shrieks of the victims were
hcartrending. and when the train passed
the track presented the sickening sight of
being covered with mangled bodies, the
rails being spattered with blood, and ragged
flesh and detached limbs being scattered in
all directions. Some of the bodies were
mutilated beyond description and crushed
out OF all semblanCe of humanity. Death
must have'comc to most of the victims in
Stantly, but some appeared to be yet CULVER
ing and life ebbing away when the train
slowcd-up.
Another account Of the terrible accident
says that about 100 Italians were at work
lon the road-bed when the train came along,
and the workmcn stepped on the other
track TO allow 1t to pass, but just then the
Chicago express thundered down on them
at the rate OF 50 miles an hour and literally
moved its way through struggling unfor-
tunatcs right and left, tearing legs and
arms aud heads off and grinding flesh into
the road-bed for 200 or 800 feet SO fierce
was the shock that although the engine
struck 9othing but human beings, the pow
erful coWcatchcr was torn, twisted and
broken into pieces. Some Of the men were
crowded against the rocks in a very narrow
space. The engineer of the express train
reversed his engine and was coming to a
stop when the passengers told him to go
ahead. Looking back, they saw the unin-
Jurcd Italians acting like maniacs They
were yelling, gcsticulating and tearing their
clothes. Some were knecling and others
dashng about the middle of the ghastly
pile of manglcd bodies When they saw
the train stopping they made a rush for it,
and had they reached it they undoubtedly
would have murdered the engineer, fireman
and conductor.
MIR. March, the padronc who supplies
the Erie Railroad Company with its Italian
laborcrs, arrived early at Paterson. He
identified the men by means of their num-
berS, which are written on slips and carried
by the men in little tin boxes. Six or
seven hundred dollars was found on the
persons Of the dead men and was taken bv
March to lie handed to the Italian Consul
at New York, in trust for their relatives.
Alarchs action was the source of indigna.
lion to the other Italians, who wanted to
take charge Of the money themselves.
They would have mobbcd him but for the
timely interference Of two policemen.